SWISS adds new Chief Operating Officer to its Management Board and appoints new CFO

SWISS is to enlarge its Management Board. With effect from 1 May 2024, the presently three-member top management body will be expanded with the addition of a Chief Operating Officer. The enlargement is intended to give greater weighting to the company's core activity. Oliver Buchhofer, who is presently Head of Operations, has been appointed to the new COO position. SWISS has also appointed a new Chief Financial Officer. Dennis Weber, who is presently Head of Investor Relations at Lufthansa Group, will assume his new SWISS CFO duties on 1 May 2024. He succeeds Markus Binkert, who will leave the company at the end of May.

Parkes Elvis Festival

Parkes Elvis Festival is held annually in the second week of January in Parkes, New South Wales, coinciding with the birthday of Elvis Presley. Parkes has a population of 12,000 and is located 365 kilometres west of Sydney. In January 2015 over 20,000 visitors attended the Festival, more than doubling Parkes’ population.

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DON'T MISS THIS TONIGHT 🎤 . Buy your virtual tickets to see a live stream concert tonight, 5 September starting at 6pm starring Brendon Chase, Jeff Handcox, Kingsley Rock and Andy B. This concert will raise funds for Shelley Vieyra and her fight with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). . Help support Shelley by booking your ticket or donating at http://bit.ly/ShelleyV . #parkeselvis #elvispresley #elvis #FND #stueyvaselvis #FunctionalNeurologicalDisorder #virtual #fundraiser @stuey_v_as_elvis

A post shared by Parkes Elvis Festival (@parkeselvisfestival) on Sep 4, 2020 at 2:37pm PDT

The Festival began in January 1993 as a small birthday party for the local newspaper editor. It was so much fun they decided to do it again - and again! Over the following 10 years, additional events were added and it became a two-day Festival. With the vision and effort of the volunteer organising committee as well as the support of Parkes Shire Council, the Festival exploded in popularity and word quickly spread across Australia of the fun and unique event in regional NSW.

Following its tremendous success, in 2014 the Festival transitioned management to Parkes Shire Council under a Section 355 Festival Committee. The Festival now regularly attracts visitors from all around Australia and stages more than 150 events annually. In January 2015, Parkes Elvis Festival was officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., the trustees of the estate of Elvis Presley. Official endorsement elevates Parkes Elvis Festival to the ranks of premiere Elvis tribute festivals in the world.

Parkes Elvis Festival is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Motorcycle ride out of Sydney

The ride today was destined for St Albans, which is a great destination because it offers some of our better bitumen roads, particularly the one between Webbs Creek ferry and St Albans, and providing a dirt road link between Wiseman's Ferry and St Albans for the dirt riders, for whom there is an added bonus that one can leave St Albans and go up to Buckety on another fun dirt road after lunch.

I was shanghaied into leading the ride, as the designated leader was not available. I understand that he was pursuing family activities to build up his store of brownie points. Hope that worked for you, Ross. The weather forecast was for an ideal day, with a bit of fog at the start, then becoming sunny during the balance of the day and potentially rain late in the afternoon/evening. That's exactly what happened and we had great riding day. Given that the Berowra ferry was out of service, I chose to go over the Wiseman's Ferry, across the Webbs Creek ferry, and out to St Albans. I thought that with the extensive rain that we have had in the previous few days the dirt road might be a bit unattractive, but a few hardy souls choice that alternative.

We had our briefing, at which Stephen Davies (who was sporting his sparkling new Brand Name riding suit) introduced a new virgin rider, David, a friend of his and from Stephen's introduction also an "intimate" associate of Wayne Rees. We had about 20 riders, all keen to follow someone somewhere. John McKeon agreed to be tail-end Charlie, a duty he so frequently takes on. I hope everybody acknowledges their appreciation to him from time to time. Thanks John.

Road conditions for the day were interesting. It had been wet the night before, and with the sun so low in the sky, in many sections the road had not had the opportunity to dry before we were there, so we were going from dry road to wet road, and frequently from sunlight into shade where the sun was below the hills. This created an added challenge for the day, particularly on the section between Webbs Creek and St Albans.

Morning tea was at Spencer, and there was immediately a mad rush for the toilets as the toilets at the 7 Eleven are still out of service and many bladders were stretched even to get to Spencer. Those who did buy coffee there commented that the proprietor was much more friendly than usual. We'll see how long that lasts. We then headed to Wiseman's Ferry, crossed there and got to the Webbs Creek ferry just as it was ready to load. Everybody got on (or so we thought) and off we went to St Albans. Four off-roaders went directly from Wiseman's Ferry to St Albans, and they were comfortably ensconced at the main table in the park there when we arrived. We knew that Ronnie and John McK were going directly from Wiseman's back to their respective homes, so we knew the numbers would be depleted, but all of a sudden we realise that David, our virgin, had not arrived either. Well that was a bit embarrassing for Stephen, having introduced his friend and then leaving him to his own devices out in the boondocks. Stephen and Wayne backtracked to Wisemans, where they found that David ‘s Harley had failed to start on trying to get off the ferry, and was still sitting there failed to start. I’m told that in the end the bike was transported away by the NRMA, so obviously not just a loose plug lead.

Lunch was under an immense liquid amber tree that was losing its autumn coloured foliage, providing a very attractive ambience.

When lunch was done, Ron, Peter and Scotty took the dirt road north to Buckety to test their slippery road skills, while the rest of us set off to Webbs Creek ferry with a view of going through to either Galston  Gorge and the Pie, or directly home via Dural. I had a dream run down the Old Northern Road, as whenever I caught up to a slower vehicle it was at the start of a legal passing zone, so no hold-ups, but those behind me weren’t so lucky and the group broke up a bit. I hadn’t been through Galston Gorge for a couple of years, so that was fun too. Because I was heading back to the Central Coast, I was heading up the old Road to the Pie, where I caught a glimpse of Wayne and Stephen riding South. They had stopped at the Pie for a coffee and when no-one else turned up they headed home. By the time I got to the Pie, Suitcase followed me in, and then Peter and Ron arrived from their dirt exploits, so we all had a drink together and then we headed home.

It really was a great riding day. Not hot, but sunny with interesting roads and the added challenge of being careful in the wet spots. I had a great day, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it too.

Let’s change the world this holiday season

The holidays are about sharing our gifts, our time, and our love with family and friends. Sharing has always been integral to G Adventures — our small group tours are founded on the belief that the world is a better place when we all share more of ourselves. That's why, since 2003, we've worked with our non-profit partner, Planeterra, to form meaningful connections between travellers and locals that create positive impacts in the communities we visit. With your support we've helped social enterprises in 41 countries around the world tap into the tourism marketplace, helping to change the lives of tens of thousands of people.

I saw this impact first-hand when I visited some of our G for Good projects in Peru this past April. It reminded me not only of the life-changing power of travel, but of the ripple effect those changes can have. The Parwa Restaurant in Peru's Sacred Valley opened its doors in 2013 with support from G Adventures and Planeterra. Today, this community-owned business is thriving as a cornerstone stop on many of our tours in the region. Thanks in part to travellers like you, they've been able to reinvest profits into several community projects including water catchment tanks for local families, an organic garden, and a reforestation program. Their operation has sparked several other microenterprises including Sipas Warmi, a co-op of 25 local women who produce herbal tea served at the restaurant. Looking ahead, Parwa plans to share some of their profits with Planeterra to reinvest in other projects around the world.

You can start a ripple of your own by supporting Planeterra. Throughout the year, G Adventures matches donations to Planeterra dollar for dollar. To celebrate the holiday season, we're giving $3 for every $1 donated by our travellers during the month of December. That means a generous gift of $25 gives Planeterra $100 to create more opportunities through travel. As always, 100% of your donation goes directly to supporting life-changing social enterprises across the globe.

You have the power to change the world — for the better. Our world deserves more of that. Our world deserves more you.

                                                           

Insight: Middle East travel slows

Research undertaken by ForwardKeys, which analyses over 17 million flight booking transactions a day, reveals anaemic travel growth in the Middle East during the first ten months of the year. International arrivals grew just 1% in the period January 18th– October 18th, compared with the equivalent period last year. The news emerged from the annual Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) conference taking place in Beirut.

The decidedly uninspiring growth was caused mostly by a slowdown in travel to Saudi Arabia and the ongoing blockade of Qatari airspace by its neighbours. Arrivals from the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe grew by 5.6%, 3.0% and 2.6% respectively but they fell 2.5% from Africa and the Middle East.



Within the Middle East, the UAE is the most important destination by far, attracting nearly half of all air traffic. It was up 2% but the next two most important destinations, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were down 2% and 7% respectively.



Looking at the blockade of Qatar in more detail reveals that the country has suffered particularly badly from a 34.8% drop in arrivals from other Middle Eastern countries, but it has made up for this to some extent with an 8% growth in arrivals from the rest of the world.



Dubai, the world's busiest airport has continued to grow its share of the 'transfer' market, to the detriment of Abu Dhabi as well as Qatar, and it has been successful in continuing to attract visitors who stay overnight in the destination too. The airport which competes with Dubai most successfully is Istanbul. By visitor arrivals, it is around two thirds the size of Dubai but it has seen a 31% surge in visitors staying overnight, as concerns about security, dating back to an attack on the airport in 2016, have receded.





Looking in to the future, bookings for the Middle East in the next two months (18thNov – 10thJan) are 2.4% behind where they were at the same point last year. The cause of this slowdown is bookings from Asia Pacific, which are 11.1% behind where they were at the equivalent point last year. By contrast, forward bookings from the Americas, Europe and Africa & the Middle East are all ahead, by 3.1%, 1.0% and 4.3% respectively.



The Asia Pacific setback is due particularly to Pakistan, from where bookings are 35.4% behind. Bookings from Australia are 19.1% behind and from Indonesia, 11.8% behind.

From mid-April to the end of May next year, Dubai will close one of its runways for upgrade work. This has prompted airlines to cut their seat capacity by 22% during the period. By contrast airlines are planning to increase capacity to Doha and Istanbul but decrease it to Abu Dhabi.



Olivier Jager, CEO, ForwardKeys, concluded: "The most striking feature of travel to the Middle East is the blue-chip nature of Dubai as a hub airport. It is the largest airport in the region by a long way and, despite the slowdown, it just keeps on growing."

Luxury Private Island Resort - Bawah Reserve

After 12-months of soft opening, luxury island resort Bawah Reserve has officially opened for business.

www.bawahisland.com

With an unrivalled dedication to marine conservation, the luxury private island eco-retreat is a haven for the endlessly passionate, curious adventurer and discerning eco-traveller, allowing guests to foster their creativity and unplug from their hyperconnected lives in the heart of the Indonesian Anambas Archipelago, situated 160 miles North-East of Singapore.

An untouched paradise comprising of six islands, three azure-blue lagoons and encased by 13 pristine beaches, Bawah is a project of love designed to integrate guests with nature. All 35 eco-designed tented suites boast either crystal lagoon or romantic sunset views or gardens cocooned in natural foliage and flora, each of which are handmade with materials such as bamboo and recycled teak.

Guests are offered a plethora of dreamland and water-based itinerary activities including hiking through untouched rainforests; swimming at secluded Coconut Beach; windsurfing, kayaking or paddle boarding between the five islands; or snorkelling amongst parrotfish, clownfish and turtles. The resort also offers inclusive treatments from Bawah's holistic wellness centre Aura Spa including yoga, Pilates, meditation, facials and massage as well as their own private seaplane to bring guests to this dream destination.